


Wasteland Ramblings

by XXX6-88 (DoskoiPanda)



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5738158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoskoiPanda/pseuds/XXX6-88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of X6-88/SoSu ficlets and drabbles from tumblr. Fluffy, silly, serious, see chapters for individual story summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Non-Addictive

**Author's Note:**

> requested by pemalites on tumblr

The radstorm came suddenly and with a fury, wind whipping at the frail trees and thunder cracking in the skies.

“Shit, did not expect this,” the Sole Sole survivor crouched down to rummage through their pack, “dammit, _where is my hazmat suit_?? Hey X6,” they shout up at their companion who’s standing over them, partially blocking them from the ripping wind, “are you carrying it? My hazmat suit?”

The courser thought for a moment before replying, “No, you left it at the institute remember? So you could carry all those microscopes…” He gave them a slightly reproachful look.

“ _High-powered_ microscopes. And they’re useful!” they insisted.

“So is a hazmat suit.”

Dammit, he got them there. “Whatever. Do you have any Rad-X?” they looked up hopefully at the synth, before remembering that _he was a synth_ , “oh, of course you wouldn’t…”

The wind was getting stronger and X6 could hear the Geiger counter on Sole’s Pip-Boy crackling as the radiation levels rose. There wasn’t anywhere to take shelter nearby. Crouching down, he reached into a pocket a pulled out a bottle of pills, “Here.”

Sole stared at him in surprise, “since when did you start carrying rad meds?”

“Since you stopped carrying your hazmat suit,” he replied, the smallest of smirks touching his lips.

“X6 you’re a life-saver!” they popped one pill, “like, literally!” they laughed, popping two more.

“Hey, be careful with those.” There was concern in his voice. He honestly hated anything to do with chems and this was no exception.

“Don’t worry, they’re non-addictive.”

That was a reassurance, but he was still skeptical. 

“So, should we keep moving?” Sole stood up and was nearly bowled over by a strong gust of wind. 

X6 stood up quickly and grabbed them, holding them in place as the wind tore past, ripping off tree branches and stirring dust up into the radioactive haze surrounding them. “You should be more careful.”

“Wow, so you’re, totally okay right now?” Impressed at how X6 was able to stand firmly rooted in place despite the violent wind they laughed, “what are you made of?”

The courser looked at her seriously before replying, “Institute secret.”

Sole laughed even though they were 60% sure it wasn’t a joke.

“We should find shelter,” X6 suggested, still holding the sole survivor on their feet.

“Yeah, but _where_?” Their visibility was dramatically decreased, and they hadn’t noticed any nearby structures before the storm. 

“We’ll just have to look,” X6 stated and began walking. 

Really, he was just walking Sole, who was almost completely unable to stay on their feet in the fierce wind. It was actually quite funny, and they found themselves laughing as the courser guided them along, unable to stay upright on their own. They were quite sure at this point that X6 was enjoying himself too. The two of theem always had a strange dynamic, Sole being the future Director and Father’s parent, and X6 being a synth courser, something between a body-guard and a parole officer. Sole remembered X6 being initially concerned that they would hold him back, but Sole made it clear from the start that they could take care of themself, and the two ended up becoming quite an excellent tag-team. They were always on equal footing, with the exception of right now, when the footing was 100% the Courser’s and Sole was like an awkward bumbling third leg.

“Seriously _how_ are you still standing??” Sole had to shout into the wind to be sure X6 could hear them. They couldn’t hear the courser’s reply but they were almost positive he was smiling. He was definitely getting a kick out of this.

At some point Sole found their arms inside the courser’s coat, wrapped around his sturdy figure. The heavy uniform helped shelter them from the twigs and stones whirling around, and X6 had his arms firmly wrapped around them, sharing his coat and guiding them across the uneven ground. Sole was still laughing at how ridiculous this situation had become. They could have just laid low and waited the storm out - that’s what they usually did - but here they were, the two of them, traversing the wasteland under the same coat like they were in a three-legged race while a crazy storm storm threw horizontal radioactive winds in their face.

X6 leaned in closer to Sole (not that he could get much closer) so that his lips were right above their ear, “ _How long do these storms usually last?_ ”

Sole turned their face toward their companion, “ _Don’t yell in my ear!!_ ” they were still laughing, of course, “ _and how the hell would I know! You’re forgetting that I’m probably newer to this weather than you are!_ ”

X6 looked at them thoughtfully before muttering to himself an “oh yeah.”

“ _Hey,_ ” Sole tugged at X6′s neck, “I think I need another Rad-X”

The synth looked at her skeptically, “didn’t you have five already?”

“Four!” 

X6′s expression didn’t change.

“Come on, _I’m dying!!”_ They weren’t actually dying.

“ _You have them!_ ” His voice was exasperated and he was a little concerned, “are you sure those are non-addictive?”

“Oh yeah,” Sole said, fiddling with a pocket to pull out the bottle, “about as non-addictive as Jet.”

“ _What?!”_

 _“_ I’m just messing with you.”

The storm wasn’t improving at all, if anything it seemed to be getting worse, but the sole survivor was amusing themself, tightly wound around their companion and laughing in his ear.

_“X6, give me your radiation immunity!!”  
_

_“What are you talking about??”_ There was a confused half-smile on his face.

They clung to each other and battled the impossible wind like idiots, Sole laughing and X6 listening as their laugh was lifted into the wind. Under the same coat it was warm and the synth could feel the vibrations of the human’s chest, pressed against his, as they laughed in the face of this outrageous weather. He leaned in to speak, just as Sole turned their face towards them, beaming,

“ _X6_ ,” their noses were touching, “ _are you non-addictive?_ ”

The courser tilted his head in confusion, and Sole took this as a ‘yes’, tilting their own head so their noses slid past each other until their lips touched. X6 stopped walking, almost let go, but didn’t pull away. If anything, Sole could swear he was pressing _into_ their lips, but X6 would blame it on the wind. 

X6 would blame it all on the wind. He’d blame it all on the wind as he shifted his arms in to a more efficient embrace, one hand around their shoulders and another around their neck, shielding Sole’s face from the wind. Standing like this, arms tightly wrapped around each other, lips connected, _yes, this position minimized their surface area and was the best way to reduce exposure to the toxic winds._

Well, that’s how X6 rationalized kissing the sole survivor in the middle of a rad storm. There didn’t seem to be any places to take shelter, so this was probably the best way to wait it out. Who knew how long it would be before the radstorm passed, hours maybe? Probably hours. Guess they’d just have to stay like this.

Sole’s chest was firmly pressed up against the courser beneath his jacket, their arms had slid around and up his back, hands gripping his strong shoulders. They kissed him fervently, hungrily, and he kissed back, equally hungrily, tasting dust and salt and… fancy lads? Thunder cracked around them.

When the storm finally let up it took Sole noticing that they were standing on their own two feet again to realize that the storm had passed. They extracted themself from X6′s lips and wiped the dust from their eyelashes while the Courser caught his breath. 

“X6, you lied,” they said, slipping an arm back around their neck.

He at them in confusion, “about what?”

Sole spoke into his neck, “ _you said you were non-addictive._ ”

“… I never said that.” 


	2. Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: X6 reacts to the SS waking up terrified (kicking and screaming) from a nightmare while they're out on the road resting for the night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X6-88 reacts: He would be torn between leaving SS to battle out their human problems on their own, and intervening to protect SS from themselves. He feels the SS’s well being is his responsibility, so he would eventually intervene and wake them up from the nightmare. He doesn’t really understand how to comfort a human, and is not confident in using words, but for the sake of the institute and his friend, he would do his best by being physically present. If romanced he would hold SS in an embrace until their breathing and heart rate return to normal, as this kind of physical contact (”hugging”) has a positive effect on SS. He might even offer to “talk about it,” despite not having confidence in his communication skills.

X6-88 had once watched a cat as it slept. The animal’s ears twitched, paws tapped against the air and occasionally its hind legs kicked violently. 

“She’s dreaming about fighting,” the sole survivor had laughed, “that’s so cute.”

X6 didn’t understand what was meant by “cute,” but determined that cats were to be respected, as they continue to train in fighting even while resting.

Now, the sole survivor was resting, and like the cat, they turned and kicked at their sheets restlessly. The first few times he watched this, X6 thought to himself “Is this cute?” He thought of every definition he had learned of the term cute and concluded that the SS sleeping peacefully was far closer to this definition. Here, watching them fight away invisible demons in their sleep was unsettling. Were this real life, he could readily intervene, he could easily take out any enemy giving the SS grief. But now he was powerless, which was terribly uncomfortable, but even more uncomfortable was watching the person that he followed and respected so much be so powerless to their own dreams. 

And they were becoming more violent each night.

He wondered if he should wake them, he recalled that human sleep was important for rest and recuperation, and as moving as it was to watch the cat continue fighting as it rested, this was different. This was different because the Sole Survivor had more than enough fighting during the day and they _deserved_ to rest, they deserved this much of an escape at least. He found himself uncharacteristically worried because to be honest he was beginning to worry that it wasn’t going to be the filth of the wasteland that tore the SS apart but Sole’s own mind that would destroy them as they slept.

He extended a hesitant hand to shake the SS awake, causing them to lash out, knocking the glasses from X6′s face. He managed to grab one of the SS’s hands, locking his fingers into theirs to keep them restrained, and with the other arm he reached around the flailing body and pulled them into his chest, holding them tightly to restrict their movements. Crying out into the hard leather of X6′s uniform, one arm pinned to their side and the hand tightly entwined in X6′s fingers, they awoke. Heart racing and light-headed the first thing they registered was the scent of X6′s skin, hot, and pressed against their cheek, slick with sweat, or tears, or both. Slowly the muscles that they didn’t realize were clenched began to relax, and they felt more exhausted than before they had gone to bed. They felt the pulse of X6′s neck against their cheek, steady, faster than usual, slower than theirs, steady. After a few breaths they spoke.

“X6…”

X6 relaxed his grip but didn’t pull away, didn’t let go of the hand he held. “You appear to have had a Night Mare.”

The SS chuckles into X6′s neck, “that’s very astute, X6-88,” it seems their sarcastic side has recovered. 

Not sure how to respond, X6 pulls away enough to look at SS’s face. A rough thumbs strokes strokes his fingers and he looks down at their entwined hands. 

“Thank you.”

There’s a moment of quiet before SS laughs and begins to speak again, “um… I can’t feel my legs”

A flash of worry crosses X6′s face before he realizes that he’s been sitting straddled on SS’s legs throughout this ordeal. As he releases SS and removes himself from their lap a strange mix of unfamiliar emotions wash over him.


	3. Praise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Designation X6-88 doesn't know how to take a compliment. (requested on tumblr)

Designation X6-88, he has this nasty perspective in which he views The Institute as ~~God’s~~  Father’s gift to the world. Naturally, everything else is inferior, especially the surface filth. He takes great pride in his work as a Courser and it’s natural to him that he’s good at killing, hunting, and surviving. He’s clean and efficient, because that’s how he’s designed to be. 

But this pride is very.. sterile. Because it’s not pride in _himself_. All of it goes back to the Institute, all of it is credited to the Institute Scientists, to Father. On the outside he seems like someone who is prideful and self-absorbed, but the reality is that he has _zero sense of self-worth_. The people at the institute view him as a machine designed to do a job, while the people on the surface view him as a machine designed to destroy their lives, so when the Sole Survivor looks at him like a _person_ it’s very new, and very uncomfortable, and very addicting. 

From the start, Sole says things like “nice shot!” and “damn you’re good at this,” and X6 thinks to himself ‘ _of course._ ’ 

Then they will say things like “It’s really goot to have you by my side,” and “we make a great team,” and “It’s kinda fun being with you,” and the courser’s not sure what to think but it’s something like  _‘Institute Scientists really know what they’re doing_.’ 

When they patch each other up, Sole will say, “you’re a lot more gentle than I thought you’d be,” and “let me do you next,” and “shit, this is pretty bad, are you okay? I don’t like you being in pain, don’t keep quiet about it next time, okay?” They say things like, “does that feel better now?” they turn their head away and say “really wasn’t expecting you to have such soft skin.” 

They’ll be eating lunch together and Sole will say something like “have I told you how glad I am that you’re here?” they say things like, “it’s really nice having you as a partner,” they say “I’ve traveled with a lot of people, but I’m really happy when I travel with you.” They ask things like “what makes you happy?”

X6 will think to himself ‘ _the Institute._ ’ 

X6 will stand guard as Sole sleeps and run through all the things they said throughout the day and find a way to attribute it to the institute. In the morning he’ll be contented to have concluded that ‘ _the Institute makes the Sole Survivor happy_.’

The sole survivor will say “no, _you_ make me happy.” 

And everything will stop making sense. But he will want to hear _more_. because it’s new, and uncomfortable, and _very addicting_.

Sole will say things like “you’re a lot more gentle than I thought you’d be,” things like “really wasn’t expecting you to have such soft skin.” things like “do me next” things like “ _damn you’re good at this_ ,” they’ll be lying together in an abandoned mattress in the middle of the wasteland and sole will say something like “have I told you how glad I am that you’re here?” and “ _you_ _make me happy,_ ” and X6 will struggle to reply. He’ll think about all the things Sole’s said to him and realize that he had been wrong this whole time, and he’ll struggle to wrap his mind around how Sole can be talking about _him_ , the _individual_ , not _this_ , the Institute Courser. 

Sole will ask things like “what makes you happy?”

and X6 won’t know how to reply but he’ll know that he’s happy right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU MAKE ME HAPPY.  
> JUST SAY IT YOU LITTLE SHT
> 
> did they do the do ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) u decide


	4. Pinch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sole pinches x6's cheeks cause he's being such a grouch and he goes to do the same to them but over estimates how strong he is (requested by bpdfenrir on tumblr)

“Wow you have really hard cheeks X6,” The Sole Survivor laughed, pinching his cheek because the courser wasBEING SUCHA GROUCH.

“ _I don’t understand that gesture._ ” X6′s expression didn’t change as Sole pulled at his cheek.

“Hmm, basically it’s a funny way to show affection?” 

X6 didn’t really understand any of that, but maybe it was worth trying out. He recalled a previous conversation they’d had about “bonding”and “human emotions” and “affection” and figured he was probably expected to start incorporating these alien ideas into his duties, as they all seemed to be very important to his human companion (who happened to be _The Future of The Institute_ ). He reached out a hand and squeezed the sole survivor’s cheek between his thumb and forefinger, in an attempt to reciprocate the gesture.

Sole’s hand flew to their face, wincing, “ _Ouch!_ ”

X6 froze. _Oh shit_. He was mortified. He fucked up bad. He just injured  _The Future of The Institute._

Sole, rubbing ruefully at their cheek, crocodile tears in their eyes, whined to their companion, “X6 it _hurts_ ,”

“I’m, I’m sorry.” It had never occurred to him how fragile this human was, he had miscalculated, he’d have to re-evaluate everything.

“ _You have to kiss it and make it better,_ ” Sole was hiding the most mischievous smile behind their hand.

“I…” _don’t understand,_ “okay.” 

Sole was beaming, positively radiating, and X6 was utterly confounded.

“Did it work?”

Sole had to stifle a laugh before they could reply, “I… I think I need one more.”

X6 didn’t really understand anything that was going on, though he started to realize that Sole was not actually hurt, to his relief. He didn’t understand what was happening, he didn’t hate it either.


	5. Ticklish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which X6-88 is very ticklish, especially on his tummy. (requested by sharto on tumblr)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you imagine tho.

The sole survivor and X6 are infiltrating a raider camp. They sneak past the turrets and are about to enter one of the makeshift shacks when Sole hears movement just behind the door. They quickly put their hand out to stop X6 from advancing, fingers brushing across his stomach. X6 jolts suddenly under the touch.

Looking back worriedly Sole reaches out, “are you injured?” they whisper, placing their hand on X6′s abdomen. Sole can feel the muscles contract violently beneath their hands. Brows knit with concern, they search X6′s stoic face for the answer until he begins to speak.

“I…. think I have a physiological malfunction”

Confused and worried, SS asks “what’s wrong?” 

Expressionless, X6 replies, “I should return to the Institute for physical reconditioning,”

“W _e don’t have time for that,_ just tell me what’s wrong, I can help” Sole now has both hands on his stomach, groping for the answer, perhaps an injury, and old scar, _something._

 _“Please stop!”_ ’ X6′s voice shakes as he tries to keep his voice to an urgent whisper. His face is strained and the corners of his lips quake. “ _I… feel like I’m going to… laugh”_

The sole survivor pauses, “ _laugh?”_ and slowly their lips stretch into a smile as realization dawns on them. “ _Oh my god, X6,“_ they’re now trying to keep themselves from laughing _“_ you’re _ticklish!!?”_

“tickle… what? Is that some kind of human illness?” his face is wrought with confusion (well, as much as his face could be.)

“haha, I suppose you could call it that. But don’t worry, it’s not terminal.” SS laughs with relief. They will definitely be using this new information in the near future.


	6. Lightweight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On my headcanon that X6 can't hold his liquor. It's canon that he hates alcohol, especially beer (as well as chems). Now we're going to find out why.

X6-88 was very adamant in his distaste for alcoholic beverages, and was always quick to quip on what a nasty habit drinking was. Whenever Sole asks him why he has such a prejudice against drinking his reply will always be something along the lines of, “it inhibits ones mental processes and reflexes. It’s also a disgusting habit and a waste of time and resources,” and then he’ll go on about “as a courser I must stay in top physical condition” and all of that’s certainly true, but it’s not the _real_ reason why he hates alcohol so much. 

The real reason is because of the New Years party after he became a courser. It had been an institute tradition for 200 years, and one which he never really understood. About half a bottle of Gwinnett into the evening the room started spinning, the rest of the night was a forgotten haze. He would wake up the next day in a red dress next to a gorilla from Bioscience. Over the next few weeks he was the talk of the lab, and he would learn all of the embarrassing things that he’d done after blacking out. He owed it to his strong control over his emotions that he was able to push through the following weeks. The only thing he was never able to live down was learning that he had called Father  _“Daddy.”_

Part of the reason he takes his job so seriously is to make up for this embarrassment.


	7. x6-88 and spooning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just pure silliness.

“So are you a big spoon or little spoon?” Sole asked out of the blue one evening. They had just settled down for the night in a small shack fitted with a single mattress. This wouldn't be a problem, as the nights were cold and neither of them were fussy sleepers.

“What?” Of course X6 had no idea what spooning was, so sole patiently explained the terms "cuddleing," "big spoon," and "little spoon." 

“That sounds pointless” was X6's gracious reply.

They both stared at each other silently.

Finally Sole decided  _enough with this_ and concluded "whatever, I'll be the bi-"

 _"I have to be the big spoon."_ X6 was uncharacteristically emphatic.

As they arranged themselves on the mattress, Sole's back pressed against X6's chest, booty tucked into his groin, X6 began trying to _literally wrap himself_ around his human companion. Sole squirmed as X6's arms and legs awkwardly tied themselves around them, and they realized that X6 had likely misinterpreted the concept of spooning as some protective ritual.

"Okay you have to stop, you’re doing it all wrong!”

X6 showed no damage from the reproach and insisted, “ ** _you’re too important to the institute_** ”

"OH MY GOD you have to _stop_!" sole was laughing by now, "you lost your big spoon privileges."

They rearranged themselves so that they switched positions, and Sole showed him how it was done. He wouldn't admit to it, but X6 enjoyed being the "little spoon."


	8. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How X6's perspective of the surface changes after meeting the Sole Survivor.

It’s no secret that he hates the surface, everything is filthy and broken, including the people. But since being partnered with the Sole Survivor he’s found that it’s, well, tolerable. Of courser the streets were no less dirty and the Nuka-Cola vending machines were no less dysfunctional, but every time they encountered one, Sole would have another prewar fact or story to tell. 

_“_ _When I was a kid we once gored a hole into a dollar-coin and tied a string to it, it took all day but we were able to buy cola for the whole squad with that one coin! Oh man, it was such a blast, until it got stuck one time and we couldn’t pull it out, we ended up jamming the machine, it was really bad. I remember we were so scared that we would become criminals, but actually the adults were on to us the whole time”_

They were so animated when they told these stories, and there were so many of them. Some of them were funny, some of them were sad, they were nostalgic and fascinating and they made searching the Commonwealth  _almost_ enjoyable. After a month of accompanying Sole, X6 had logged hundreds of these stories, all of them associated with a different part of the Wasteland that he hated, and a different part of the partner he loved. 

He never expected that life to end. He never expected Sole to betray him, to destroy the Institute, to leave him in the Wasteland with hundreds of nostalgic memories and nothing else. He was stuck here on the surface with these hated artifacts and nostalgic memories, he himself becoming a forgotten artifact tied to just another of the Sole Survivor's memories.


	9. like one of your french girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the sole survivor asks her companion to pose naked for a drawing.

He agrees, of course, when the sole survivor asks to draw him naked. As he sees it, Sole is the future of the Institute and it’s his responsibility to assist them in every possible way while he accompanies them across the wasteland. Compliantly the courser begins undoing his uniform right there in (what was once) the city streets.

“Wait, stop!” the sole survivor halts him, heat spreading to their cheeks, “not here, I meant later, after we’ve settled down.” They were a little overwhelmed and a little concerned by how readily X6 was willing to comply to their request, and part of their mind ran off wondering what else he would so readily do.

Sole is giddy by the time they make camp. The abandoned shack isn’t much, but there’s a lamp (functional), a chair (intact), a desk (intact enough), and a (filthy) mattress.

Nudity brought X6 no shame. He was convinced it was because he wasn’t programmed with that emotion, and because the human body was nothing to be embarrassed about, and because he had been seen by Institute scientists countless times doing countless things and having countless things done to him while in the nude, for science, of course, as he was convinced. The first two assumptions were wrong, because all Gen-3 synths had every human emotion, much to SRB dismay, and because when it was the Sole Survivor’s human body, X6 definitely felt embarrassed (another emotion he was convinced he didn’t have) seeing it, and angry when it was seen by unauthorized others (everyone besides X6, in his opinion). The last assumption wasn’t an assumption. It was merely fact.

But standing in front of the sole survivor in the nude was different than standing in front of the institute scientists, for reasons that he couldn’t quite grasp. And watching the Sole survivor carefully spread a jacket out on the mattress so that his bare, synthetic skin wouldn’t touch the filthy, slightly damp fabric despite that fact that he was not susceptible to human disease, felt distinctly different than watching institute scientists spread crisp white sheets across a crisp white operating table.

And laying exposed to the sole survivors gaze as they studied his form intently was, he concluded, not remotely analogous to laying naked before the studious gaze of any one of the institute scientists.

“You know,” the sole survivor began, bringing X6 out of his thoughts, “before the war, I used to love drawing people”

He didn’t understand, of course, what could possibly be compelling about such a menial hobby.

“When you draw someone you start to notice all these small wonderful details about them. It’s a privilege, that you get to discover these curves, the angles, the shades of someone’s body that probably no one else has noticed. And everyone has these beautiful things about them that they probably don’t even realize themselves. It’s like learning all these beautiful secrets” They pause, “I mean I’m sure that every inch of you has been studied thoroughly at the Institute,” they look up for a moment, studying X6′s face, “but, I don’t know, drawing someone is, intimate. Translating every perfection and imperfection, all the beauty, all the secrets, you translate them onto the paper…” they laugh, “I don’t know why I’m telling you this”

He didn’t understand this hobby, but somehow he felt that now, here with SS, there was no wasteland, there was no war, there was no institute courser or sole survivor, it was just them. And perhaps he was beginning to understand the word intimate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of imply some sketchy stuff done my the institute, which I talk about in one of my tumblr post. I think I will post it on AO3 eventually as well.


End file.
